News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena County Sheriff Erik Smith talks on the radio in his car on Wednesday. Smith said the Sheriff’s Office is close to having to end 24-hour road patrol because of a shortage of deputies and looming cuts to more personnel if the county’s proposed tax increase fails in November.

ALPENA — The staffing of deputies at the Alpena County Sheriff’s Office has dipped to the point where 24-hour patrol could be in jeopardy.

More cuts to deputies could be in the cards if the county’s property tax proposal fails during the November elections, which could reduce patrols even more.

The county wants voters to approve a 0.7051-mill tax increase that would raise about $800,000 a year for the county and cost the owner of a $100,000 house about $35 a year. A portion of that tax revenue would help stabilize staffing at the sheriff’s office.

Sheriff Erik Smith said his department has been proactive in finding new revenue streams to help some of the pressure from the county budget and has been successful at it. He said the department took on a portion of the contract with Alpena Community College to provide some police support, which the college pays for, and helped broker a deal between the Alpena Public Schools and Alpena Township where the two municipalities would fully fund a school liaison officer at the school, which saved the county from paying its portion.

Smith said new drug testing and electronic monitoring programs were also implemented to make money and relieve stress on the budget.

The problem is, those new initiatives take deputies away from their patrol duties. Deputies also work in the courts and on the Huron Undercover Narcotic Team, which depletes staff available to patrol to even less.

To make matters worse, the sheriff’s officer also lost a deputy who took another job because he was fearful he could lose his job if the proposed property tax increase fails, Smith said. The county has a hiring freeze in place and so far the commissioners do not want to replace the deputy that left.

“We have done things to help and find revenue, but we are at the point where we are running bare bones and it is clear there could be cuts to our staffing levels if it fails,” Smith said. “We are at a critical point, without filling that position we lost, of losing 24-hour road patrol. If I lose any more, which it is pretty certain we will because of cuts, we just won’t have the manpower to do it.”

The commissioners have discussed the possibility of laying off police staff during budget meetings, but it didn’t sway voters who turned down the proposal during the August primary. The county is looking at a budget shortfall of more than $1 million and have promised cuts if the tax increase fails again.

Smith said in reality, he could use four new deputies to properly patrol, respond to complaints and emergencies, and provide the safety residents need. He said if the tax proposal fails, he may be able to squeeze some staffing help from the commissioners, but at the minimum he wants just enough to ensure 24-hour road patrol continues.

County Administrator Jesse Osmer said making cuts is never easy but is necessary. He said the results of the election will determine how deep the cuts are.

The board has previously conveyed what next year’s budget would look like going forward should the tax increase fail. They have warned residents that deep cuts will be unavoidable and would include cuts to both jobs and services.

“At this point, the board is moving forward building a budget that does not plan for passage of the millage. Obviously if things change, last minute adjustments can be made,” Osmer said. “While we appreciate the work done by Sheriff Smith and our local law enforcement, the reality is that the board is left with little choice due to the poor fiscal foresight of previous boards. There is a very real chance the sheriff’s department will be impacted by the adjustments needed to get our county back on a path toward financial health.”

Smith said he will continue to stand up for his staff and for the safety of residents who would become less safe if a solution isn’t found to maintain or bolster the number of deputies on his staff.

“I took an oath to keep the community safe and that is what I intend to do,” he said. “I made it very clear to the commissioners that I am the sheriff, I am here for public safety and that is my only concern. Not finances. They can figure all that out. I will fight in this ring for my employees and our residents. That is what I intend to do.”

Smith said he is almost certain that the staff of deputies available for patrol will be cut if the tax increase fails. How many could be let go and how he will be forced to schedule the ones remaining is still up in the air, Smith said.

If 24-hour road patrol is removed, Smith said there will be people who could potentially wait for a police response during the night and overnight hours. He said deputies do have patrol cars they can take home, so they can respond from home, but he said that takes time. He added that although Michigan State Police do the best they can, they patrol five counties and often wouldn’t have enough manpower to pick up any extra coverage in Alpena County.

“Late at night, heaven forbid, if there is nobody available, deputies can respond from home, but that takes quite a bit of time,” Smith said.

The county commissioners are expected to announce what cuts to the budget will be made if the tax proposal fails at its finance committee meeting on Oct. 8.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.